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Gruffs at the Guggenheim
Indebted to the Summer Court, Evelyn Quinn found herself on her first adventure in Manhattan. ---- The Summer Court Nobleman to whom Evelyn owed a debt appeared one night, with a task. The job was simple, he said, trivial even, but it required a mortal hand. Evelyn was to sneak into the Guggenheim museum on a specific night, hours after closing time. How she accomplished this, the nobleman said, was none of his concern. Once there, she would find an element of Summer, part of an art exhibit on the fourth floor, and open a Way to the Nevernever. As Evelyn attempted to dissuade the nobleman, claiming such magic was beyond her, he simply handed her a small dagger. A simple blade, with a piece of driftwood as a handle, which was imbued with Summer, and would open a Way. As the nobleman left, Evelyn was struck by the inevitability of the situation. She knew the consequences of breaking an oath to the fae, and she knew that there was no way around this task that was given to her. She started planning. The first obstacle: how to sneak into the Guggenheim. As prestigious museum as it was, it would certainly have pretty hefty security. The cameras would be simple enough to hex, but there would be plenty of guards. A ritual, then, something to make her unnoticed, to make her blend in to the background and to allow her to sneak past the guards. Time was short, however, and as she was still new in town she hadn't had time yet to stock up on her ritual supplies. Evelyn contacted the peddler, Adrian Reed, whose name she had heard in mystical circuits. A man of resource, he could procure any lesser materials, and even some rare ones, in an incredible short time. ---- Evelyn met with Adrian at his office. The meeting was short, and to the point: Evelyn had no time to waste, and Adrian seemed to pick up on this. After polite (yet rushed) greetings, Adrian took the list of materials from Evelyn's hand and quickly glanced through it. "When do you need this?" He asked, looking up. Before Evelyn could reply, he continued, as if presupposing her answer. "I'll have them at your apartment by tonight." When asked about payment, Adrian waved away the question dismissively. "This is a simple request, well within my purview. I don't require a payment. Instead I will ask that you, at a time of my choosing, aid with a request of mine." Sensing Evelyn's hesitation, or perhaps simply as a result of past experience, he continued "Not to worry, I won't ask you to betray any commitment, oath, or law. My request to you will be as simple as your request to me, here and now." ---- On the day of her required task, Evelyn was nervous. She had prepared the ritual in advance, spending hours in concentration, and had focused the spell into an old attache case she had lying around. As long as she held on to the briefcase, the spell was contained. In order to get to and from the Guggenheim discreetly, Evelyn needed help. She elected to call Thalia Woodcrest, a recent acquaintance, maybe even friend. Evelyn explained that she was on assignment for the Summer Court, and that she needed aid, a driver. Thalia accepted, eager to be shown helping the Summer Court, and happy to help her new friend. As Thalia drove the two of them to the Guggenheim, Evelyn was silent. Sensing the tension Thalia probed lightly, inquiring about how she could best help. "Tell me as little or as much as you want, I just want to help as best I can". Evelyn shrugged and looked out the window, chewing on her lip. As they arrived at the Guggenheim, Thalia killed the engine. After a short moment of silence, Evelyn got out of the car. "Wait here" she said, "I don't know how long this will take, or what will happen, but I wan't to be able to leave as soon as we can." Thalia watched as Evelyn turned towards the museum, and started walking. As she came close to the museum, she stopped, paused for a beat, and simply let go of her briefcase. And she was gone. ---- Moving as if through a fog, Evelyn made her way past her guards. Carefully, hexing any cameras that she saw, she made her way past the entry-hall, and up into the gallery. Around and around, she followed the curve of the Guggenheim, until she reached the fourth floor. She paused as she heard voices. A meeting of some sort was taking place in one of the galleries conference rooms. Carefully, she crept along the darkened hallways, hoping to avoid this nighttime gathering. She looked around, inspecting the works of art on display, searching for the "element of Summer" that the nobleman had mentioned. Towards the back of the room, she saw it: An enormous painting depicting spring, summer and fall. All nature's life in one cycle, with the death of winter pointedly omitted. Evelyn took out the knife that she had been given, and held it up in front of her, as she stood by the painting. In on smooth motion, she cut horizontally with the knife. It seemed to tear through the fabric of reality itself, as a small gash appeared floating in the air in front of her. As she watched, it opened vertically, creating a doorway of inky darkness. Not black, but a deep, dark green. Shocked, Evelyn stepped back, as figures started emerging from the Way that she had created. Half a dozen of them: hoofed feet, backwards bent knees, gnarled bodies clad in scraps of fur and leather... and ram's heads with horns to match. The oldest of them seemed to be the leader, and as he stepped towards her Evelyn couldn't help but back away in fear. He stopped, and simply nodded at her, and as he and the rest of the goatmen moved past her, Evelyn realized who these fae were. The three little goats gruff, like so many other Grimm stories, were at least loosely based on the Summer fae. As it were, Evelyn knew that the Gruffs were not so little, and that there were certainly more than just three. The Gruffs were a ruthless clan of killers that the Summer Fae used when they wanted their opposition stopped in their tracks. As she realized this, Evelyn also realized that the Gruffs were making their way towards the voices she had heard. Whoever was meeting in this place, at this time, was about to have a really, ''really, ''rough time. These were trained killers, supernatural enforcers, and they would run rampage until their enemies lay dead before them. Quickly, Evelyn found the closest fire alarm and smashed the glass. Her task here may have indirectly caused the death of those people, but damn her if she wasn't at least gonna try to give them some warning. And maybe, with the guards running to answer the alarm, the Gruffs would have a harder time accomplishing their mission. As the screaming started Evelyn rushed out of the building. Her spell spent, she narrowly avoided the guards who were rushing in towards the commotion, as she made her way outside. Running towards Thalia's car, she got in and they drove away, leaving the screams behind them. "What happened?" Thalia was wide-eyed, having heard the screams and seen the guards rushing in. "Are you alright?" Evelyn didn't answer. As they drove, Thalia sensed her friends fear and spoke gently, murmuring words of consolement and encouragement. By the time Evelyn got home, she had calmed down, and explained some of what happened to Thalia. ---- Having completed her task, Evelyn awaited the nobleman to visit her again. Days went by, and nothing. As quickly as he had appeared again in her life, he was gone again, and she could only imagine when he would visit her once more. And how she would try to counteract whatever it was he would have her do, next time.